SPAIN
SPAIN
Sauvignon was first introduced to Spain in 1973 when the Marqués de Riscal winery chose Rueda as the region for producing young fruity wines with character. Much of it is used to reinforce the aromatics of Rueda’s flagship variety, Verdejo.But there is a relevant number of wines that are technically varietal Sauvignon. After Rueda, Torres in Catalonia planted Sauvignon for producing a Fumé Blanc style, which is still popular. The region with the largest area planted with Sauvignon is La Mancha, mainly for commercial styles. Relevant new Sauvignon vineyards are being planted in Rioja. Only a few wines have been marketed so far, yet without a clear identity. There is also Sauvignon in Navarra, Aragón and Valencia.
PREDOMINANT CLIMATE PATTERNS AND SOIL TYPES
There are two main types of climate: Continental, marked by high altitude, high daily temperature variation and little rain during the season, in Rueda; and Mediterranean, moderated by certain altitude and trellising, in Catalonia
WINE PROFILES
The typical wine profile in Rueda is an intensely aromatic, almost New World style, with moderate acidity, giving an impression of volume. The wines are very clean and marked by the varietal. A few wines are fermented or shortly aged in oak, but 99% of the wines are bottled young, with no oak contact. Cold maceration, low-temperature fermentation are the norm. The dominance of Verdejo plantings has played in favour of Sauvignon wines, since the vines tend to be older. In Catalonia, there are two styles. The Fumé Blanc style, with evidence of oak ageing, relevant alcohol levels, around 14-14.5%, moderate acidity and a very Californian feeling of dry sweetness. The best examples have a long finish. The second style is simpler, quite aromatic, with fair acidity: it is not too dissimilar from the La Mancha style – the wines are simple and deliver gooseberry aromas, they are not very fresh but clean.
Pedro Ballesteros MW
Every month, a different producer country will be featured, from the classics such as France and New Zealand to more unexpected destinations such as Austria or Spain. For the next one, we go to Italy.
